


The Breath Before War

by Tassledown



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Ancient Roman politics, Arguments about Roman morals, Gen, Human Names Used, Implied Egypt/Rome, Implied offscreen dubcon, argument, non-explicit violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 07:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tassledown/pseuds/Tassledown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Kingdom of Judah is not used to being someone else's vassal and listening to orders has never been his strong suit. Trying to live with Rome is constantly trying his patience. Visiting with the younger Nations in the Empire is one of the few pleasant breaks he can give himself.</p><p>Unfortunately that doesn't go over any better with Rome than anything else he can do in the region.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Breath Before War

**Author's Note:**

> Note off the bat: I use Dasya as a human name for Egypt due to the little fact that Arab dominance does not exist yet, and neither does Mohammad as a very popular name. I found it looking up Egyptian coptic christians in the rough time period.
> 
> Time period is roughly around 60 CE for those who like knowing that going in. Details on why then at the bottom.

Eitan found Dasya reading on the floor of the Library of Alexandria, a stack of books by one elbow. He stopped to appreciate the moment, relieved to see that Dasya had the time and leisure to read at home. He was still very young for a Nation, even though by now he was over three hundred years old. 

Eitan sat down across from him with a groan. “Hello. What are you reading?”

Dasya didn't look up from the book. “Aristotle.”

“I'd think you'd have read everything by him already.” 

“Much, but not all.” Dasya closed the book on one finger and frowned. “I hadn't heard there was going to be a visit here from Judaea?”

“It's not official. I just wanted to check up on you once I heard you had gone back to Alexandria.”

“Ah.” Dasya smiled cautiously. “Yes, I asked for some time at home and Marcus was kind enough to grant it.”

Eitan grunted and nodded, not adding the rest of his feelings on the matter. “I'm glad he did.”

The look Dasya shot him told him that his nonchalance had not fooled him, but, as always, he didn't ask. Instead, he said “Did you ask permission of Marcus to come here?”

Eitan grinned. “He's grateful for any day I'm outside the city of Rome.”

“He prefers for you to be outside his Empire entirely, if I recall correctly.”

“It's a terrible thing for a man to always get what he wants.”

“Of course,” Dasya opened the book again, his expression distant. “I don't think I've ever understood why you are always so...”

Eitan tilted his head curiously, not certain where Dasya was going with his thoughts. There were a lot of reasons people started that sentence about him; the ending varied widely.

Dasya abruptly sat up and tucked the book into his lap, looking towards the end of the aisle. Eitan looked as well and stood, putting on a bright smile.

“Marcus!” Eitan called. “A pleasure to see you.”

“I thought you were going to see your people in Parthia,” Marcus snapped. “Why won't you stay away from him?”

“Perhaps I enjoy socializing with people I like.” Eitan tilted his head and narrowed his eyes a little. “I have interests outside Parthia's bed and Jerusalem's safety, as strange as this may sound. Do you always spy on your provinces like this?”

Marcus growled and pointed sharply at Dasya. “As far as I can tell you're not fucking him, so your constant visits here bewilder me. What do you even care about Egypt for?”

Eitan paused to recover his temper, stretching his jaw out before he said something he'd regret. “I realize that you have trouble with the concept, Marcus, but some people do not treat their dependents like their personal whorehouse and actually talk to young Nations.”

Marcus took another step closer to him, his face twisted with anger. “If I didn't know better, I'd think that he was your son by Old Egypt, but she died well before he was born.”

Eitan smiled, relaxed his body to centre his balance, and then punched Marcus in the face. The Empire sprawled on his ass and Dasya came to his feet with a gasp. Eitan shook out his hand and braced himself, facing Marcus and more than willing to fulfill the promise of that fight.

“You should avoid bringing up Old Egypt with me, Marcus. I didn't like her any more than I like you, and she didn't have nearly the control over me that you do right now.”

Marcus got back to his feet and wiped the blood off his lips. He grabbed Eitan by the collar of his shirt, lifting him to his toes . “I like it better when you're too polite to hit me.”

Eitan forced his temper down and stayed still. “Then don't accuse me of fucking Egypt, then or now.” He was rewarded seeing the frustration dart through Marcus' eyes. He smiled. “I'm sorry if you're just jealous I don't fuck you, Marcus. Had you any morals at all, I might have liked you enough.”

“If your morals were so perfect, why was your precious temple destroyed?”

Eitan fought his temper once more and won, although his voice shook with the effort. “The state of my morals doesn't always reflect the practice of my people, anymore than your ability to force someone's surrender reflects what your armies can do.” Eitan smiled pleasantly again. “How was your visit to Brittania, Marcus? Any progress at all?”

Marcus threw him back and Eitan stumbled before he could catch his balance again. The moment he looked up, Marcus punched him in the face and grabbed his shirt to throw him into a bookcase. The shelf rocked alarmingly and they both froze in terror. Several books fell around them and Eitan covered his head with a curse, but the shelf itself did not come down. Marcus swore.

“Perhaps you should take this outside,” Dasya's voice was icily calm as he began to gather the fallen books. In contrast to his tone, his hands were shaking badly and he held the books that had fallen to his chest like a shield. 

Eitan knelt by him and started to help. Marcus seized him by the hair and jerked him upright.

“You should leave now,” Marcus snarled. “You don't belong here. Egypt is nothing to you and I don't want to see you anywhere near his province!”

Eitan froze in place. He wanted to argue. Truthfully, he wanted to choke the life out of Marcus with his bare hands, for hurting so many people while Eitan could do nothing to stop him. He couldn't speak past the rage choking his throat, but anything he said in anger would make things worse.

“Judaea,” Marcus snapped. “Answer me.”

“I hope you live to see your Empire fall,” Eitan breathed. He turned his head enough to see Marcus. “And I hope I live long enough to see your face when it does.”

Marcus twisted his hand in his hair and pulled him to the tips of his toes again. Eitan bitterly regretted his lack of height. He considered if he had the strength to Step to Parthia with Marcus holding him. He didn't think so. He could cross the border because of his people there, regardless of any other circumstances, but that only applied to him. He couldn't forcibly Step an Empire anywhere, regardless of how easily he could travel himself.

Eitan swallowed his temper instead. “Are you going to let go of my hair?”

Marcus threw him to the floor, away from Dasya, and put a hand on his gladius. “If you do not leave here now, I will run you through. I am sick of you defying me. When I see you in Rome again I will have you beaten, is that clear?”

Eitan got to his feet and brushed down his tunic, debating if it would be worth it to pursue the fight. He badly wanted to do it. He wanted his own sword back so he could show Marcus how unwise he truly was to fight him, but there was no point. Defeating Marcus himself, in person, did nothing for his people and worse, Marcus would not save his rage only for Eitan. He took his rage to his other provinces, where Eitan couldn't go – and couldn't keep them safe. 

He wouldn't do that to them to satisfy his bitterness. He was old enough to know better, and mature enough to save his anger for when it would do more good.

Eitan turned his back on Marcus and walked out of the library of Alexandria without another word. He wandered the streets until he found a quiet place to Step from Alexandria to Ctesiphon, in Parthia, where he could find someone he could talk to in peace.

**Author's Note:**

> The time point I used for Egypt's age was from the founding of Alexandria, in 331 BCE; Old Egypt died when the Seleucid (Persian) Empire took control the last time before then.
> 
> I headcanon Rome as being roughly 5'8" and Eitan as 5'4", just for anyone with burning curiosity about that.
> 
> There was a huge amount of Israelite migration into Persian territory after the destruction of the first temple in 587 BCE, and ever since there has always been a large Jewish population there. The Seleucids, under Cyrus the Great, took the territory back and allowed the second temple to be built around 516 BCE, which is why I write Eitan as so friendly with them. 
> 
> Timeline wise, I placed this at about 60 CE because Rome is busy getting his ass handed to him in Britannia by Boudicca and her like. It's also six years preceding the first Jewish-Roman War and ten years before the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE which will change things just a little between Eitan and Marcus.
> 
> Roman custom at the time gave a large amount of control to the head of household, and also codified what a lot of people know as the fondness for young adult males by older men. Rome had a lot of young male Nations in his Empire. Eitan has very different cultural morals.


End file.
